Apocalypse Revealed # 413
413. And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, and a third of them was darkened. This symbolically means that because of their evils springing from falsities and their falsities springing from evils, they did not know what love is, or what faith is, or any truth.
A third means, symbolically, all (no. 400). The sun symbolizes love (no. 53). The moon symbolizes intelligence and faith (no. 332). The stars symbolize concepts of truth and goodness from the Word (no. 51). To be darkened means, symbolically, to be unseen and unknown because of evils springing from falsities and falsities springing from evils.
Evils springing from falsities are found in people who adopt falsities having to do with religion and defend them to the point that they appear to be true. Then, when they live in accordance with them, they do evils as a result of the falsities, or the evils of falsity.
On the other hand, falsities springing from evils are found in people who do not regard evils as being sins, and still more in people who employ reasonings issuing from their natural self, and moreover from the Word, to establish in themselves that evils are not sins. Their very arguments are falsities springing from evils, and what we call the falsities of evil.
[2] Darkness symbolizes these falsities because light symbolizes truth, and when the light has been extinguished, darkness is left.
To confirm this we will first cite passages where things similar to those here in the book of Revelation are said regarding the sun, moon and stars, and darkness ensuing upon their being extinguished:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of Jehovah. (Joel 2:31)
...the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its rising, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. (Isaiah 13:10, cf. 24:21, 24:23)
When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens..., I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the luminaries of light in the heavens I will make dark over you, and bring darkness upon your land... (Ezekiel 32:7-8)
...the day of Jehovah... is at hand... The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. (Joel 2:1, 10)
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven... (Matthew 24:29, cf. Mark 13:24-25)
Who, if he elevates his mind, cannot see that in these places it is not the world's sun, moon and stars that are meant.
[3] That darkness symbolizes falsities of various kinds is clear from these passages:
Woe to you who desire the day of Jehovah! ...It will be one of darkness, and not light... Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light? Very dark, without any brightness? (Amos 5:18, 20)
(The day of Jehovah will be) a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of clouds and overcast... (Zephaniah 1:15)
In that day... it will look to the land, which, behold, will be darkness...; and the light will grow dark in its ruins. (Isaiah 5:30, cf. 8:22)
...behold, the darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. (Isaiah 60:2)
Give glory to Jehovah... before He causes darkness...; you look for light, but He turns it into thick darkness. (Jeremiah 13:16)
We look for light, but there is darkness and no brightness; we walk in thick darkness... We stumble at noonday as at twilight; among the living we are as dead men. (Isaiah 59:9-10)
Woe to those... who put darkness for light, and light for darkness. (Isaiah 5:20)
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. (Isaiah 9:2, cf. Matthew 4:16)
...the rising sun from on high (has appeared) to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death... (Luke 1:78-79)
If you give your soul to the hungry..., your light shall rise in the darkness, and your thick darkness shall be as the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10)
In that day... the eyes of the blind who are in thick darkness and gloom shall see. (Isaiah 29:18, cf. 42:16; 49:9)
(Jesus said,) "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)
Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you... I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:35, 46)
When I sit in darkness, Jehovah is a light to me. (Micah 7:8)
This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness more than light... (John 3:19, cf. 1:4-5)
If... the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:23, cf. Luke 11:34-36)
...this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53)
Darkness in these places symbolizes falsity arising either from ignorance of truth or from some false tenet of religion, or from a life of evil.
Regarding people caught up in falsities having to do with religion, who are therefore caught up in evils in life, the Lord says that they should be "cast out into outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12, cf. 22:13; 25:30).
Exodus 39
1
Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
2
He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3
They beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, in the purple, in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, the work of the skillful workman.
4
They made shoulder straps for it, joined together. At the two ends it was joined together.
5
The skillfully woven band that was on it, with which to fasten it on, was of the same piece, like its work; of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
6
They worked the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold, engraved with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel.
7
He put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
8
He made the breastplate, the work of a skillful workman, like the work of the ephod; of gold, of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9
It was square. They made the breastplate double. Its length was a span, and its breadth a span, being double.
10
They set in it four rows of stones. A row of ruby, topaz, and beryl was the first row;
11
and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
12
and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
13
and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold settings.
14
The stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, for the twelve tribes.
15
They made on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.
16
They made two settings of gold, and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
17
They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
18
The other two ends of the two braided chains they put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod, in its front.
19
They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which was toward the side of the ephod inward.
20
They made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its front, close by its coupling, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
21
They bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not come loose from the ephod, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
22
He made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
23
The opening of the robe in its midst was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around its opening, that it should not be torn.
24
They made on the skirts of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, scarlet, and twined linen.
25
They made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates around the skirts of the robe, between the pomegranates;
26
a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe, to minister in, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
27
They made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
28
and the turban of fine linen, and the linen headbands of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twined linen,
29
and the sash of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, the work of the embroiderer, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
30
They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it a writing, like the engravings of a signet: "holy TO YAHWEH."
31
They tied to it a lace of blue, to fasten it on the turban above, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
32
Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was finished. The children of Israel did according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses; so they did.
33
They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent, with all its furniture, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,
34
the covering of rams' skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen,
35
the ark of the testimony with its poles, the mercy seat,
36
the table, all its vessels, the show bread,
37
the pure lampstand, its lamps, even the lamps to be set in order, all its vessels, the oil for the light,
38
the golden altar, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door of the Tent,
39
the bronze altar, its grating of brass, its poles, all of its vessels, the basin and its base,
40
the hangings of the court, its pillars, its sockets, the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, its pins, all the instruments of the service of the tabernacle, for the Tent of Meeting,
41
the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.
42
According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.
43
Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it as Yahweh had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.
